Meaning & use
cognizance
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
Awareness or knowledge of something, especially when it leads to action.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used in the phrase 'take cognizance of' or 'have cognizance of'.
Patterns
- take cognizance of something
- have cognizance of something
- beyond someone's cognizance
The committee took cognizance of the complaints and promised an investigation.
She had no cognizance of the risks involved in the deal.
The court will take cognizance of the new evidence.
noununcountablelegalformal
The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case.
Grammar: Used in legal contexts; often followed by 'of' or 'over'.
Patterns
- cognizance of a case
- cognizance over something
The court has cognizance over cases involving international trade.
The judge questioned whether the lower court had cognizance of the matter.
Common combinations
- take cognizance of
- The authorities took cognizance of the situation and acted quickly.
- have cognizance of
- The manager had cognizance of the problem but did nothing.
- beyond someone's cognizance
- Such technical details are beyond my cognizance.
- judicial cognizance
- Judicial cognizance of the case was granted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- awareness
- More general and common; does not imply official action.
- knowledge
- Broader; can refer to information possessed, not necessarily official notice.
- notice
- Often used in legal phrases like 'take notice of'; similar but less formal.
Opposites
Word family
- cognizant adjective
- Aware or informed; often used in formal contexts.
- cognizable adjective
- Within the jurisdiction of a court; able to be known or considered.
- recognize verb
- To identify or acknowledge something.
Commonly confused: cognizance or cognizant?
cognizance vs cognizant
Cognizant is an adjective meaning 'aware'; cognizance is the noun. You are cognizant of something, or you take cognizance of it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cognizance' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses the phrase 'take cognizance of' meaning to officially notice. Option 1 is wrong because 'cognizance' is a noun, not an adjective; the adjective is 'cognizant'. Option 2 is wrong because 'cognizance' does not mean skill or ability. Option 3 is wrong because 'cognizance' is uncountable and cannot be used with 'was very high' in that way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cognizance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.